Majid Al-Fedaily Okaz/Saudi Gazette MAKKAH — Marwan Zabidy, Secretary General of the General Cars Syndicate and Head of the Saudization Committee, has said a study will be conducted after Haj to determine the failure of the Saudization program to fill 25,000 seasonal vacancies for drivers. During the past Haj seasons, the number of Saudi drivers employed by the syndicate in seasonal jobs did not exceed 1,900. The syndicate is continuing its plan for the Saudization of Haj transport companies and is providing attractive salaries and incentives to encourage citizens to take up these jobs. The syndicate had advertised 25,000 jobs, but only 1,845 citizens and residents had applied. The applicants were referred to the Haj transport companies for employment as drivers and technicians, while the rest of the vacancies were filled by outside recruitment. The syndicate had also advertised 2,047 administrative and field jobs at its headquarters and branches, and managed to fill all positions with qualified Saudis. The syndicate employs a total of 27,000 people in seasonal and permanent jobs, including administrators, technicians and drivers. According to the Saudization law, Saudis must fill at least 10 percent of these jobs. The transport companies are forced to rely on foreign drivers due to the reluctance of Saudis to take up temporary jobs as part of the Saudization project, which was launched 13 years ago. Zabidy attributed the failure of Saudization efforts to the general tendency among Saudi applicants to look for jobs that do not involve hard work and to shun strenuous tasks. He said they request for positions such as emergency drivers, who are utilized only when an original driver falls sick or abstain due to unavoidable circumstances. Nevertheless they are paid the wages. This forces the transport companies to hire drivers from abroad on a temporary basis, which entails enormous costs in terms of visa fees, recruitment charges and airfare. In addition, all foreign drivers are required to undergo a 13-day training with the cooperation of six related agencies. Zabidy said the cars syndicate has devised a plan to overcome the weaknesses of the Saudization project. Initially, some 400 Saudi drivers will be recruited on a permanent basis on high salaries with the support of the transport companies, which currently refuses to raise drivers' salaries on the grounds that the fees for transportation of pilgrims remained stagnant for more than 30 years while prices of vehicles and spare parts have recorded a tremendous increase. The syndicate has prepared its operational plans for this year's Haj season with the aim of providing safe and comfortable transportation to more than 1.8 million pilgrims. The plan covers Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah. The plan allows the pilgrims or their representatives to choose the transport company that suits them. The transport plan is based on moving the pilgrims in one trip, two trips, or multiple trips, according to the size of the pilgrim contingent. Prince Khaled, Emir of Makkah and President of the Haj Committee, issued instructions last year, banning transportation of pilgrims after 11 p.m. to ensure their safety. The decision resulted in a decrease traffic accidents involving pilgrims' buses. Zabidy said the ban is in force this year as well. He said the syndicate's fleet is sufficient to meet the needs and no buses will be rented from abroad this year. The syndicate has implemented a system to ensure the proper scheduling of drivers to minimize problems resulting from fatigue. The drivers are subjected to stringent medical tests to ensure that they do not use drugs.
